Its also linked to gut microbiome. All connected.<p>There is growing evidence that Fluoride (or other chemicals) in toothpaste may be a cause or partial cause - fluoride is essentially a disinfectant and will kill both the good and bad bacteria in your mouth. Of course there are huge benefits in terms of helping your teeth remineralize but there is a reason they tell you very specifically to NOT swallow your toothpaste.<p>I recently switched to HPA toothpaste (different compound than fluoride) which also helps your teeth remineralize but does not disinfect your mouth. Supposedly it may mineralize better than fluoride (although I do not have a source for this - it may be the same level or worse - but it definitely does help) and has been used in Japan for a long, long time. NASA has even been giving it to the astronauts for years that go to the space station. The idea is that since it does not destroy your mouth microbiome you can (hopefully) get it to a healthier state - probably by also eating fermented foods and prebiotics and getting your gut in sync as well.<p>Best part is though that because its not toxic at all you are supposed to not wash it out - which means it has much longer to stay in contact with your teeth. I floss, do a light brushing with no toothpaste, rinse my mouth, and then another light brushing with the HPA toothpaste and just leave it in. It tastes good and there's no harm in swallowing. Crossing my fingers it also helps with bad breathe.
Super interesting study! Other studies also associated the oral microbiome with cognitive health, like depression and Alzheimer's, but this is an interesting finding.<p>>H2S-producing bacteria exhibited disease-stage-specific enrichment and could be potential diagnostic biomarkers<p>This would suggest that people with bad breath may have higher risk of schizophrenia? Or maybe the reverse? I also wonder if this was controlled for oral hygiene routines and oral health in general? I would assume people with uncontrolled schizophrenia have worse oral health, which may be a factor?